Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said that owing to cooperation and opportunities offered by the Chinese government and the companies, Pakistan would be able to get out of the present crisis.
Speaking at the Central Party School here, the prime minister said, “Pakistan needs investment due to its current account deficit and China through China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project has given us foreign investment. They have given us an opportunity to attract investment.”
What China has offered to Pakistan is a great opportunity, the prime minister said, adding that CPEC is a great blessing that has connected Pakistan and China. “We need investment in Pakistan more than ever because of mismanagement and corruption in the last 15 years … we have also suffered due to war on terrorism,” he said.
“Pakistan’s relations with China are not limited to one area, they are multi-dimensional and Pakistan will learn from China’s management of urbanization, environment, waste, with special focus on fight against corruption and poverty alleviation,” he said. “Main concern of my government is to strengthen the state institution … the strong state institutions are guarantee to a corruption-free Pakistan. Poverty alleviation is my government’s second challenge. You cannot have a society of few rich people and a sea of poor people. You cannot have a society with too much inequality and expect you would progress,” he added.
Imran Khan said he admires China because no country in the human history has taken 700 million people out of poverty in 30 years, adding that his government is interested to follow Chinese strategy to bring Pakistanis out of poverty. “In 1960s, Pakistan was one of the fastest developing country in Asia … its economic growth was exemplary and its first five-year plan was adopted by South Korea and Malaysia. Pakistan had quality universities and the countries looked upon it like a role model,” he said. “Unfortunately, Pakistan lost the track and what stopped Pakistan from its destination was corruption, especially of the ruling class. The country has resources but the money which should have been spent on its development goes in corrupt hands,” he lamented.
The prime minister said money laundering was the world’s worst problem and a major tactic of corruption. He said trillions of dollars were being siphoned off from developing countries to the developed countries, resulting in deprivation of the poor countries of their resources and foreign exchange with poor people the ultimate sufferers.
Imran Khan said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was the biggest party in Pakistan which stands for two things: building the institutions and bringing people out of poverty.
Published in Daily Times, November 5th 2018.
